GUIDE I m «llf OMAHA ... -- „
The eye of a Master will I 11 | III gl I “No Man was e v e r
do more work than his | | Ik I f \ I Glorious who was not
hand --—-2- p P^ | I ~ “ m Laborous.”
■. March of Events J i X XX U City, ana Nat l Lite ^-=== ■■
_ OMAHA, NEBRASKA, SATURDAY, FEB. 24,1934 __Page 6 _
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| EDITORIAL |
IL ...... as "* -
IIK;« SALARIED POLITICAL JOBS FOR NEGROES
(Reprint From The St. Louis Argus)
A big piece of news broke last week from the Ne
pie^s oi country following the announcement that
Mayor LaGuardia of New York appointed Herbert De
lari: >' 10 a ten thousand, eight hundred and fortv ($10 -
810) dollar job. v ’
r,- ’1.n® J°b t0 whicb Delaney was appointed is that of
j-ax and Assessment Commissioner of New York City he
b 01 seven whose duty it will be to appraise and
essoss property amounting to more than eighteen billion
live hundred million ($18,500,000,000) dollars.
We call it a big piece of news because this is the
‘y\i!£sb salaried position in the municipal government to
which a Negro of this country has ever been appointed. It
might he mentioned here, however, that Ferdinand Q
Morton of the same city holds a position which pays sev
en thousand dollars a year as a member of the Civil Ser
vice C ommission. These are worthwhile appointments
and they lend hope and courage to Negro voters in many
part of the country. It may be noted that Mortin was ap
pointed by New York Democrats, while Delaney gets his
appointment through Mayor La Guardia who holds his
onice by election on what was called a “Fusion” ticket, it
t ing lemembered that Mr. La Guardia before he became
mayor was a representative in Congress from New York
City, being elected on the Republican ticket.
Incidentally, we may state in this connection that
there are two Negro judges in New York elected to twel
ve year terms at twelve thousand dollars a year. We call
special attention to these appointments that the Negroes
mother sections of the country may take notice of these
things and think, then, too, public officials in other cities
and states should take note of what is going on in New
fork with reference to Negro voters and begin to pre
pare for what will be expected by Negroes in the future.
ASSISTANT ATTORNEY-GENERAL ‘DEAD
GIVE AWAY
According to newspaper reports, Assistant At
torney General W. O. Sawyers, who was.supposed to be
piosecutmg Valter Garton, charged with participating
m the lynching of Lloyd Warner at St. Joseph, Mo., Nov
ember 28, undoubtedly gave away his case in his argu
ments to the jury. Sawyers is quoted as saying, “The vic
tnn of this lynching should have been hanged,” but he
d,cldgcl thcit n6 should have boon hcingod in & logul munriGr.
" 1 statement coming from the prosecutor, appears
to us to be a “dead give away” of his case. He has told the
jury, before whom he was arguing for conviction, that the
victim was guilty of the crime for which he was lynched.
So far as we can see there was no reason for Sawyers to
make such a statement unless he was ignorant of the
way and manner in which to prosecute a case, or unless
he deliberately gave away his case for fear that the jury
might give in a verdict of “guilty.” Thur, it may be prop
erly stated that the idle gesture made at prosecution when I
Sawyers referred to the President of the United States!
was what we might properly call a mockery of the words1
of President Roosevelt. In other words, those high sound-1
mg phrases were like unto a pillow fight—loud sounding,
but no one meant to be hurt. It will be remembered that
Lloyd Warner was innocent of the charge of rape for
which he was lynched, that is, every man is presumed to be
. innocent until he has been proven guilty. Already there
are reports from St. Joseph saying that persons, who are
in a position to know, doubt that Lloyd Warner made an
attack upon a white girl. The alleged confession which
was'supposed to have been wrest from Warner by the po
lice is just like hundreds of other alleged confessions
which prove to be false.
Recently three striking cases of alleged confessions
have come to our attention, one of which was a Negro
youth who was lynched in Tennessee after a grand jury
had failed to find sufficient evidence to sustain an alleged
attack charge. Following close upon this case was that
of another Negro who was lynched in Florida charged
with an attack on a white woman. After a grand jury in
vestigation the prosecutor stated “there was not one scin
tilla of evidence” to show that the lynched man was guilty
of an attack on a white woman. More recently there has
been a statement from the high sheriff of Jefferson Coun
ty, Alabama, following the conviction of a Negro charged
with the attack on and murder of a white girl, in which he
said, “I do not believe that Willie Peterson was guilty of
the charge agaiust him.” This belief is shared in by many
other citizens of this county including the chief of police.
We cite these cases
CRITICISING ROOSEVELT POLICIES
Reprint from World-Herald)
The Hon. Ogden L. Miller, former Secretary of the
Treasury and before that a Representative in Congress
from New York, is undoubtedly one of the leaders of pres
ent ciay Republicanism. This iact gives added importance
to the address made by him recently at Topeka, Kansas,
in which he pointed out the dangers he declared to be in
herent in the politics of the Roosevelt administration. Mr.
Mills holds no politcal office now, although he is looked
upon as a maker of Republican policies and perhaps a
likely candidate for the Presidency.
Declaring that there has been no popular mandate
for the revolutonary changes made in the governmental
and economic life of the nation, Mr. Mills demanded open
discussion and honest criticism, as essentials to the func
tioning of democratic institutons. Some political com
mentators might assure Mr. Mills that the popular man
date he fails to perceive was furnished in the popular vote
for President and Congressmen in the fall of 1932. And
.he Congress then elected has delegated most of its powers
to the President which he has exercised through his var
i ious commissions.
It may be true, as Mr. Mills says, that the whole con
ception of a planned and directed national economy is de
structive of the fundamental principles upon which the
American system rests, but the people and their represen
ives appear to have accepted that idea as the only prac
tical way to meet the existing emergency. Even so drastic
a measure as the bill devaluating the gold dollar and seiz
ing all the gold in the country was adopted by Congress
with but few dissenting votes. Nine out of ten members
in the House, including two out of every 3 Republicans
voted to support the Presidciit’s policies.
At present there is but little outspoken opposition to
the President’s policies among either Republicans or
Democrats, who are dependent upon the popular vote foi
office. The most ntense opposition to his financial meas
ures has come from such Democrats as Senators Glass and
Gore, who have no fear of consequences. Mr. Mills can
afford to criticise the administration because he holds no
office at present, but there are not many Republicans in
Congress who dare to take that risk, because they feel
that the President still has the backing and confidence of
the people.
Should the President lose this backing through fail
ure of his plans for economic recovery and readjustment,
such critics as Mr. Mills will doubtless .receive a more fav
orable hearing. In the meantime it is well that the open
discussion and honest criticism advocated by Mr. Mills
should be given its proper place in the program.
TRIBUTE TO RECOVERY AIDES
An unexpected and probably unintentional tribute
was paid to good faith and freedom from partisan bias
shown by some of President Roosevelt’s Recovery aides,
in their distribution of funds and jobs to bring about a re
sumption of prosperity. As reported by the Associated
Press, one day last week Representative Blanton of Tex
as, during a discussion of Recovery plans, rose to make
the inquiry, “Who’s in charge of the spending?”
THROUGH MY SPECTACLES
By Vere E. Johns
— -
FINDING A WAY OUT
Despite Several Opinions to the contrary, I am firm
ly convinced that, never so much as at the present time,
there is every need for all Negroes to unite for their com
mon good. I can agree with those who think that we can
never be a separate and complete race in the United
States, because we are too divided and too independent on
others for our very existence. It is and should be the Ne
groes aim to take full advantage of the benefits and ad
vantages that the land of his birth or of his adoption of
fers—the same as others have done, even those who have
come from remote quarters of the globe.
The Negro seems like a giant army that has sped j
swiftly across open country, then struck mountainous I
country which caused it to divide up into numerous isolat- j
ed groups, ajl of which have now come to a massive wall
that bars their way to the promised land beyond. So far,
whilt a select few have, here and there, found a crevice in
the wall where they could creep through, the great mass
remains still divided into small groups, some futilely bat
tering their heads against the unkind wall, and others sit
ting idly by, hoping for nothing, expecting nothing, and j
consent to exist on the scraps that are occasionally thrown
over the wall to them.
The advancement 'of this people is at a standstill.
There is not enough substance on their side of the wall to
enable them to make any appreciable progress, amount i
to anything, and if they are not able to pry an opening in j
that wall, they must eventually be forced back into barren
lands they just traversed, where they will perish.
Only two courses are open to them—either to unite
and make a concerted and continuous attack on the wall
until they do break through or else to give up all ideas of
getting through and start a long trek back to where they
originally came from. There, with all the knowledge and,
experience gained, they would be able to rise into some-!
thing substantial.
Unity Is Strength
The Negro, today, is that giant army camped on the
wrong side of the hard and cruel wall of white prejudice
and injustice. The first course to pursue is to unite. At
present in this country we find hundreds of little organi
zations, all supposedly interested to advance the cause
and status of colored people. But, either they arise, last
for a while and fade out, or those that remain are at a
standstill and keep going around in circles without any
forward progress. There isn’t a single one of them that
is big enough, strong enough or with enough numerical
following to warrant their being taken any serious notice
of, either by city, state or national governments.
Each one is resplendent with executive officers with
high-sounding titles that look very nice on paper, but as
far as their power to help their brethren to advance is
concerned, they are not worth the paper their names are
printed on. Besides all this, they are all intensely jealous
of one another, each treats the rest as contemptible and
beneath their notice and point-blank refuse to cooperate
with each other even when they profess to be fighting for
the same cause. At times one wonders whether these peo
ple are really sane or are they just damnably and cruelly
selfish. If they could only be brought to the point of pool
ing all their interests in one grand and concerted organi
zation with everything they possess behind it.
Sink personal feelings and desires of self aggrandize
ment and have the voice of the majority select and elect
the proper men and women to be their leaders* Such an
organization should and would sweep into its ranks all the
millions of Negroes scattered over the United States and
| could so control, by popular consent, their economic and
political movements that a ready ear would be bent at all
i times to their calls by the rest of the nation. There is only
one word for it—UNITE.
Back To Whence
Failing the above, the only other alternative is to
start back to where we really belong'—Africa. This is no
stunt a la Marcus Garvey. The American Negro has
planted his foot in Africa—Liberia, and it is Liberia that
he must look to. To allow such a fine country to be taken
over by some white nation and made a dependency or col
ony, and^ put into the position of other parts of Africa
where the white man rules and lords it over Negroes who
slave to develop the country for the enrichment of some
big white nation, would be a disgrace the American Negro
would never survive or live down. Liberia wants youth
with brain or brawn or both—colored America has mil
lions of young men and women with no future before
them. College diplomas hang on the wall while their own
ers wash dishes, scrub floors, shovel snow, and the gr< at
majority starve and steal.
What would these people lose by striking out for a
new- land with new and immense opportunities. What a
grand adventure for red blooded youth! Tens of thous
ands of them went readily into the great war—to die for
nothing—how much better now to go to live for some
thing To build up a great African nation that will stand
on all fours with the nations of the world and will lead the
way to the reclamation of that great continent, that’s our
birthright.
Liberia is our hope and refuge, not only for the col
ored peoples of America but also of the West Indies, Cen-!
tral and South America as well. Think it over.
HITLER—AMERICAN STYLE
In a recent number of the American Hebrew and
Jewish Tribune, Walter Hart Blumenthal, in an article
upholding the right of Congress to protest against Hit
ler’s treatment of the Jewish people in Germany, said: “It
is a farce that we should quibble as to America’s right to
denounce Hitlerism with the full import of governmental
spokesmanship; it is not only a right, but a manifest
duty.”
Right on the heels of this came the action of Repre
sentative Lindsay C. Warren of North Carolina in his
effort to out-Hitler his German protatype by raising a
racial issue in the public eating room of the House res
taurant at the Capital. As chairman of the Accounts
Committee, he ordered that Negroes should not be served
in tlie House rstaurant, claiming that the practice had
never come to his attention until recently.
Representative DePriest of Illinois, the only member
of the Negro race in Congress, took issue with this ruling
and disputed the authority of the Accounts Committee to
make rules for the conduct of the restaurant, claiming
that such authority ceased with the sixty seventh Con
gress, when it was specifically conferred and since which
time no committee has been authorized to conduct the
restaurant. A committee of five members was asked to
investigate why such authority was exercised by the Ac
counts committee and also why discrimination is permit
ted against Negro citizens.
Now, that Representative Warren lias started his
pitiful imitation of Hitlerite methods in order to demon
strate : he superiority of the so-called Aryan race, it
remains to oe seen how far his colleagues will go with him.
Plr. DePriest insists that lie is going to fight to bring up
his resolution for a vote and debate on the floor, after it
has gone to the Committee on Rules for a hearing. The
committee can report it favorably or unfavorably, or even
pigeonhole it. The ultimate disposition of the matter will
show more clearly the caliber of the average American
Congressman. #
Unless Congress rules decisively against racial dis
crimination in its own precincts, it would truly be a farce,
for it to denounce any act of Hitlerism abroad. It is the
clownish performances of such little Americans as this!
North Carolina Congressman, Will Rogers and General |
Smedley Butler that bring discredit on the whole country.
EDITORIAL OF THE
WEEK
Segregation
(From the Friends Intelligencer,
February 10, 1934)
One of the accomplishments of the
National Association for the Ad
vancement of Colored People, which
is this year celebrating the 25th year
nf its organization, was the carrying
through to the Supreme Court, in
1914, of the Louisville, Kentucky; or
dinance segregating Negroes. The
iecision in this case that 'Such ordi
nances are unconstitutional prevented
the forming of black ghettoes all
over the country into which the Ne
groes would have been forced and
from which they could not have es
caped.
But segregation exists just the
same- There is both social and eco
nomic discrimination practiced by the
majority group upon the minority.
The keynote of the Race Relations
Sunday message this year is: “The
spiritual and moral values so essent
ial to national recovery cannot be
realized when the material advan
tages are offered to members of one
race and denied to those of another.”
At a recent interracial gathering
to consider this question of segrega
tion, one Negro said: “What ths
white people do to us is bad enough,
but what they do to their own souls
by their shutting us out from the
privileges of decent living, is infinite
ly worse.” These discriminations are
soul-searing on both sides, and as is
stated in "The Creed and Christian
Convictions” in the Teacher’s Man
ual. “Whatever one may believe
about heaven or hell as places, the
main question remains not of a soul
in heaven or hell, but of heaven or
hell in a soul.” • •
FINANCIAL STABILITY
PARAMOUNT
In the February issue of Harper’s
Magazine Paul Tomlinson writes on
life insurance safety. And the record
he describes is possibly unequaled by
any other industry.
During depression extraordinary
drains have been made upon life in
surance assets at a time when the
writing of new business was at the
lowest point in years. Yet at the end
pf 1933 the industry’s assets totaled
more than $21000000000.
The Reconstruction Finance Cor
poration was setup by the gover’inent
to aid major businesses in weather
ing hard times. Life insurance is the
type of industry for which the R. F.
C- was primarily intended. Yet loans
made by it to the companies amount
ed to only one seventh of 1 per cent
of their total assets as 1933 closed
The achievements of ife insurance
so far as its investment portfolio is
concerned is equally impressive.
Bonds in default represented well un
der one per cent of assets and during
1933 there was no substantial rise in
defaulted securities held — even
though a great many concerns of var
ious kinds went under during the
year. It will probably be discovered
that in the long run depression act
ually'caused a strengthening rather
than a weakening in the financial
position of the legal reserve life com
panies as a group.
The achievement of life insurance
long list. But they serve to indicate
the safety the stability and the per
manence of an industry whose great
work is to serve ordinary citizen and
make it possible for him to protect
himself his family and similar inter
ests- They are especialy interesting
at this time in connection with Fin
ancial Independence Week which be
gins March 19.
RECOVERY DEPEND
ENT ON PRIVATE
INITIATIVE
Koger Babson has been , long re
spected for his statements on eco
nomic trends when he believes that
facts and statistics justify an opin
ion- In a copyright article from Bab
son Park Florida he now points out
the dangers of our menacing tax bill.
He shows that the rapidity of cir
culation of money is the key to pro
sperity and that the velocity of cir
culation depends upop the confidence
and willingness of those who have
capital and courage to start new en
terprises and take risks.
He lists basic industries that are
still in deep depression because those
who understand such industries re
fuse to risk money for development
unless they have confidence that
their income will not be taxed away
from them.
“It is therefore vitally important”
says Mr- Babson “for every citizen
interested in restoring employment
to fight against new and increased
taxes-”
Mr- Babson praises the President
for his endeavor to raise commodity
prices to the 1920 level but he points
out that he should realize that to do
this he must have “the same confid
ence enthusiasm and willingness to
take risks among business people as
existed in 1920 . - .
“Instead of holding back recovery
by discouraging private initiative the
government should offer those with
capital some incentive to risk it in
new enterprises and new buildings
Every citizen can help by appealing
to his senators and congressman as
follows:
“1. Protest against increases in
corporate taxes income taxes and
surtaxes
“2. Urge that a certain percent
age of funds spent by individuals for
new building or new business be de
ducted from income surtax pay
ments.
“3- Protest against increases in
taxes of all types ”
STUDENTS O. K. ANTI-LYNCH
BILL A
COLUMBUS, Ohio, February 22_
Calling upon President Roosevelt to
“remember the twelve millions of
colored American citizens by giving
them legal protection like the rest of
the popuation”, the Anti-Lynching
League of Ohio State University here ’
has urged the President to back the
Costigan-Wagner bill.
